Papal Legacy (Under the Fig Tree Part 51)

Pope Francis has died. He was a kind man who loved the poor and the marginalized. He had a tremendous impact on the Church and on the world. He leaves a legacy that will long be discussed and evaluated.      The Pope desired for the world to be a better place. Some of his acts were momentous, dramatic and impressive. They touched many people’s lives. He preached what was in his heart.        What are some of these and how have they impacted on the world?

      In 2015 the Pope went to the Philippines, to Tacloban, Leyte. There was then a storm. He braved the rains and strong winds, wearing a thin raincoat. He told the Filipinos to be a poor church, consistent with his constant preaching on being a Church of the Poor. The poor are to be given a preferential option.      But today, poverty in the Philippines has grown, with the gap between rich and poor getting bigger.

       In 2018 the Vatican entered into a secret agreement with China (the Chinese Communist Party) regarding the appointment of Catholic bishops. This was supposed to make for smoother relations in order to help Catholics in China.       But today, Catholics in China face greater persecution. Bishops are arrested and detained indefinitely. There is an ongoing process of sinicization of the Catholic Church, making it more conformed to Chinese culture. Even pictures of Jesus and the Pope are replaced with Mao and Xi Jinping.

      In 2019 the Pope invited warring South Sudan factions to a retreat at the Vatican. At one meeting, the Pope entreated the factions to work at peace, and he knelt down and kissed the feet of the South Sudanese President and then his rival in the rebel faction. It was a shock to many, especially to the South Sudanese.        But today, the factions in South Sudan are still there, and the country is again on the brink of civil war.

     The Pope has long advocated strongly for migrants and has made this a priority of his pontificate. He demands that nations welcome, protect, promote and integrate those fleeing conflicts, poverty and climate disasters. The Western world responded positively, opening their borders and trying to integrate even illegal migrants.

       But today, things have shifted dramatically. The Western world is turning its back on illegal immigrants and closing its borders. They experienced dysfunction in their societies, with growing crime, conflicts with locals, and failure to integrate.

     Pope Francis made bold and radical moves. He desired only the good of peoples. But what he preached was not enough. Was it because his actions were directed at humans and their hearts? There of course needs to be transformation of hearts, of conversion. But it can happen only if the spirit is reached and touched.          God had already stated how perverse human beings were, as He prepared to unleash the flood during Noah’s time. God “saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil” (Gen 6:5). Today this is still true, perhaps even worse.     So what is the solution to the evils in the world? It is Jesus. He came and conquered death and sin, and reined in the rampage of Satan in the world. Peace and unity can come if peoples turn their lives over to Jesus and live his way of life.    This can happen as the gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus, is proclaimed, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:13). But there is a process that needs to happen. Proclaimers of the gospel are sent out, they preach, people hear, they believe, they call on the Lord (Rom 10:14-15).       Human hearts can only be transformed in and through Christ and the power of God’s Spirit.

      Unfortunately modernism has crept into the Church, and the preaching has become man-centered instead of God-centered. There is talk of love, caring, compassion, equity, inclusion, but not enough of righteousness and repentance for sin.     For example, those in irregular unions (including same-sex unions) are offered Holy Communion and priestly blessings. So there is inclusion, but no conversion. In fact, such sinners are in effect encouraged to remain in their sin.     Looking to the poor, to harmonious Church-State relations, to peace and unity within and among nations, to care for migrants and displaced peoples—all these are good. But to just appeal to the hearts and minds of people will always fall short, unless Christ is part of the appeal. Christ first, and everything else follows.

SALVE REGINA.